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Re: Great Season
At 08:37 PM 6/1/02 -0700, Cecil Wright wrote:
I notice that some of you don't think Rogers is worth signing. Let me
remind you that because of our big man situation, he was asked to play out
of position on several occasions. I think he would have been much more
effective if we had that stud rebounder we all crave so much. He may not
have racehorse speed but he has some muscle he's not afraid to put to use
under the boards. And he has a decent touch for a guy who is built like
Fortson. I think if he is interested in signing for a fair price, we would
be rather foolish to let him walk away and be forced to replace him with
whomever may be available.
OK, my questions about signing him aren't about lack of racehorse speed -
I've no serious problems with how fast he got from one end of the court to
the other- but with his reaction time, particularly to going after loose
balls and rebounds. Just too many times I've watched him not even move as
the ball goes by, and I'm fairly comfortable it's not inherent laziness or
lack of hustle. I agree that he does appear to provide some much needed
muscle and toughness even if we could wish more height, but I'm less sure
about how effectively he supplies them. Especially because he may well be
on the downhill side of quickness in response to the flow of the game.
Rodney's almost 31, he's not likely to get any quicker. And while a stud
rebounder beside him would improve the team totals on stuff like getting
the boards and loose balls, it's not likely to make Rodney himself better
at one of the key things you would be signing him for.
OTOH, the reason that this concern still leaves questions is that you are
absolutely right about where he fits in in terms of what we have and what
we are likely to able to acquire. Change is not necessarily progress in
this case. And Rodney is many times better than nothing.
Battie, BTW, is the better case in point for someone to whom a stud
rebounder by his side would make a HUGE difference. Too often -especially
on the offensive end- Tony's the only one going after a board, limiting his
game and adding to the beating he takes, while making it look like he
played worse than he did because of all the rebounds he didn't get.
I have mixed emotions about Delk. I am not so sure that this team has many
shooting opportunities for a SG in the first place, and I am not sure that
if we were to find them, he would be the guy to take them. Also, though he
is as flawed as anyone else, I like the way Strickland plays the game. He
needs to be harnessed in a little bit on the offensive end but he plays
defense with 100% effort.
Yeah, I have to admit I like Strickland's toughness. OTOH, I look at the
key rebounds Delk got over guys half a foot bigger and wonder how much
difference another year with more comfort in a better defined role would
make... My biggest problem with Delk is his lack of court vision when he
plays the point. He doesn't look around enough and doesn't get all the
openings that he should. And that IS something that coaching can improve to
some degree...
BTW, court vision is one of the biggest clear differences between AW and PP
on the court. AW this year is always looking around and sees so many more
of the openings. PP isn't even looking too often and doesn't respond fast
enough when he does. Not just with double teams. Hopefully part of his
maturing process will be to improve on this.
What bothers me about the way the season ended is the woeful free throw
shooting. We shot well in one loss but the other 3 saw us shoot:
65.5% on 19/29 shooting in a 104-97 loss
67.6% on 23/34 shooting in a 94-92 loss
59.1% on 13/22 shooting in a 96-88 loss
This is one of the biggest thorns in my side right now. This series should
still be alive right now, at the very least, with more consistent free throw
shooting. And if it doesn't improve in the future, and I fully expect that
Obie will make it a focus next year, Pierce can expect to see even more
physical play in the future ala hack-a-shaq.
Y'know something though, I'm increasingly inclined to think a lot of that
is pure fatigue and lack of legs. One thing that was clear with Walker
especially is that they HAVE worked to improve this and that it already was
a focus, at least individually. Paul clearly had some problems with his
head, but I've certainly seen signs that O'B understands Paul's tendency to
let his emotions get out of control and that he will address that whole
problem, bit just as it applies to free throws.
I am still proud of what we have accomplished this year and I am hoping that
Chris Wallace and the rest of the staff are able to find the other spokes to
the wheel.
GREAT SEASON BY THE C'S AND THIS LIST!!
Absolutely
Kim